Conventionally, instead of a cigarette, a flavor inhaler (smoking article) is proposed which allows for tasting a flavor without burning a flavor source such as a tobacco. For example, there is known a flavor inhaler including: a carbon heat source extending along a direction from an ignition end toward a non-ignition end (hereinafter, referred to as “longitudinal axis direction”) and a holder that holds the carbon heat source. There are various types of proposals for such a flavor inhaler. For example, W02013/146951 A1 describes a flavor inhaler provided with a cylinder-shaped carbon heat source having a through-hole with a diameter of 1.5 to 3 mm.
An attempt has been made to improve ignitibility of the carbon heat source by forming a plurality of grooves at the ignition end of the cylinder-shaped carbon heat source having a through-hole. The plurality of grooves includes a first groove and a second groove respectively crossing at the ignition end of the carbon heat source. See, for example JP 2010-535530A.
There is a proposal for a technique to form a cross groove at an end surface of a predetermined member. For example, Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 2539056describes a processing apparatus for forming a cross groove by utilizing the turning of a table holding the predetermined member. More specifically, the processing apparatus has a table on which to hold the predetermined member and a cutter configured to reciprocate in a constant direction. The processing apparatus forms the first groove as a result of the cutter abutting the end surface of the predetermined member, in a state where a position of the predetermined member held on the table is in a first position. Subsequently, the processing apparatus turns the table holding the predetermined member, while not rotating the same, by 90° . As a result, the position of the predetermined member held on the table is changed from the first position to the second position. In other words, the orientation of the predetermined member is turned by 90° . Subsequently, the processing apparatus forms the second groove as a result of the cutter abutting the end surface of the predetermined member, in a state where the position of the predetermined member held on the table is in a second position.
However, in the above-described processing apparatus, the groove is formed by a semi-batch process using the table, and thus, it is difficult to continuously manufacture a large number of carbon heat sources. Further, in the above-described processing apparatus, as the predetermined member in which the cross groove is formed, a carbon heat source configured by a carbon material is not assumed.